Puppy
by Mew Draiku
Summary: [YMxJ] Jou is having a great day, but what happens when Marik visits? YAOI WARNING
1. Chapter 1

Draiku: Heheheh, I wrote this one. That's why it has explicit stuff in it. Mew is incapable of writing yaoi. Only fluff and shonen ai.

Mew: Well, I'm not a pervert like you, Draiku.

Draiku: Oh, shove it up your--

Yoko: And now for the disclaimer and warnings.

Warning: Contains shonen ai, yaoi, and peanuts (sorry, just had to put that there. XD).

Disclaimer: Mew, Draiku, and Yoko do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, though they wish that they did because they could add all sorts of kinky things to it.

Puppy

Chapter One

Jonouchi was sitting in his room peacefully, listening to rock music. He bopped his head to the beat, singing the lyrics softly. He then grinned once he heard the guitar solo, jumped from his seat on the bed, and began to play an air guitar.

"Yeaaaah!" he yelled upon the end of the solo. He had memorized this song perfectly, and turned up the volume causing his eardrums to pound as the headphones blasted music into his skull. He danced around like a maniac and sang at the top of his lungs.

"…Liiiives, on Holiday!" he shouted, finishing the song. (A/N: Okay, maybe Jou is more of an oldies rock kinda guy, but I don't know, like, _any_ old rock songs with a guitar solo. –sweatdrop-)

Jou smiled to himself and threw the headphones off, running a hand through his hair. He turned off his stereo and lied back on his bed. He then looked at the time. It was pretty late, he needed to get to sleep.

He was about to turn in when suddenly, he heard his doorbell ring. He blinked and walked over to it, happy that he had won some cash from a dueling competition to fix it. When he opened the door, he gasped in horror.

"M-Marik!" The yami in front of him grinned.

"Yes, Jou, it's me. The one who sent your beloved Mai to the Shadow Realm and almost killed you. Not to happy to see me, I'm sure?" he said in an icy voice.

"You're s'possed t' be dead! Go back t' Hell where y' belong!" Jou yelled angrily. Marik glared at him, silent.

"Before I do that…let me demonstrate to you which is more powerful, human will, or darkness." He yanked out his Millennium Item, the Millennium Rod, and pointed it at Jou. Jou was immediately thrown against the wall of his apartment, his arms and legs sticking straight out on the wall.

"Let me go!" he shouted and tried to break free from Marik's grasp, but it was useless. He couldn't move any part of his body below his neck. Marik laughed softly to himself and took out the dagger part of his golden staff. Jou watched fearfully as it was brought to his neck.

"Well, well, well, so even the strong are paralyzed by a mere dagger," Marik teased with that evil grin of his.

"D-don't kill me, please," Jou begged.

"And why wouldn't I?" Marik chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you." His hand moved swiftly to cut through the center of Jou's shirt, from the neck of it to the bottom.

Jou looked down at his clothing. His shirt now looked like a button-up tee-shirt without the buttons. Marik smirked, and finally, Jou realized what was going on.

"No, please God, no," he whispered.

"There is no such thing as 'God' for you now, Jou. There is only darkness, and that darkness is me," Marik said, grinning as he jabbed his thumb at his self.

Marik tore through Jou's shirt using the knife as an aid, and soon Jou was bare from the waist up. Jou felt tears come to his eyes as Marik rubbed his chest with a hand.

"Maybe we should move someplace a bit more comfortable, and practical, eh, Jou? How does your bedroom sound? Alright, then, let's go," Marik said before Jou could answer.

He grabbed Jou around the waist, and to keep the teen from struggling he pressed the knife gently, yet threateningly, against Jou's neck. Jou shuddered and tried to push away, but Marik just pressed the knife in harder.

Before Jou knew it, he was dumped onto the bed. He yelped in surprise as Marik climbed on top of him predatorily, licking his lips. Again, Marik brushed his hand over his pert nipples and finally took one into his mouth, licking the bud.

After a few licks and a few groans of protest from Jou, Marik bit the nub lightly. Jou let out a gasp.

"Nn-no, s-stop…" Jou moaned. Marik ignored his pleas and began to straddle his waist.

"Moan for me, Jou," he said with a grin, still holding the knife to Jou's neck. The yami carefully unbuttoned Jou's jeans, then unzipped the fly. Using quick fingers, he removed the jeans and then Jou's boxers in two swift motions. He smirked when he saw what he had expected.

"It seems as if you're _enjoying_ this, Jou," he said, taking Jou's erect member into his hand.

"G-get off! I hate it!" Jou cried. Marik chuckled and pumped Jou's cock, grinning evilly. Jou let out short gasps of air, his eyes focusing and blurring. Marik released his grip on Jou's cock before the boy could cum into his hand. He then unzipped his own jeans and let his throbbing erection free.

Grabbing Jou's hair, Marik shoved his face between his legs.

"Suck it," he commanded in a husky, gravelly voice. Jou refused to do so, but Marik forced open his mouth and thrust his erect shaft into the boy's mouth. Jou had no choice but to do as Marik said.

He sucked the flesh regrettably, causing Marik to groan in pleasure.

"Use your tongue more!" Marik said through moans. Jou, while Marik's cock was still in his mouth, licked the Egyptian's member. Marik let out a final groan and came into Jou's mouth, causing the boy to choke.

"Drink it all, boy," Marik demanded. Jou felt his cheeks burning bright red as he lapped up Marik's seed with his tongue. "Yes, that's right," Marik muttered, licking his fingers until they were slick with saliva.

He grabbed Jou forcefully and flipped him over on his hands and knees, sticking one finger into Jou's tight, reluctant entrance. Jou gasped and flinched at the sensation as Marik stuck another finger into his opening.

Marik finally stuck a third finger into Jou's entrance, and his fingers brushed over Jou's prostate. Jou let out a cry of pain as Marik placed his shaft at the boy's opening. Marik thrust into him as hard as he possibly could, bucking his hips forcefully.

Jou cried out as tears streamed down his face. It hurt so much! He felt Marik lick his neck and nip his skin.

"Jou…you're so fuckin' tight…" Marik moaned with a grin. He thrust in again, making Jou cry out in response. After only a few more thrusts, Jou came, spraying his seed onto the bed and into Marik's hand, which had been pumping his member. Marik gritted his teeth and came into Jou upon feeling Jou's fluid on his fingers.

Marik slipped his flaccid member out of Jou, leaving the blond boy to lie on the bed, panting and huffing. He tucked his shaft back into his pants, zipped up the fly, and straightened out his shirt. He looked as if nothing sensual had happened in the past few minutes.

Marik eyed Jou. He noticed the blond boy looking at him with burning hatred, yet also with an expression that clearly stated "why?"

"Get used to it. You're all mine, now, Jou. No one else's. Thus, I can do whatever I want to do with you," Marik said with a smirk. Jou shut his eyes tightly, feeling tears make their way down his face. Marik walked out of the room and shut the door, leaving Jou alone.

-

Jou went through the same thing almost every single day. First, he would wake up in the morning and take a shower. Next, Marik would leave the apartment that he forcefully shared with Jou, and Jou would just stay at home. He would usually lie on the couch, wondering "why?" over and over again.

About an hour later, Marik would return with groceries and such, depending on what they needed. Usually it was stuff from the food pyramid, and he barely got any junk food. If he ever did, it would always be chips, and they would always be baked. From observation, Jou discovered that Marik was a health-wise guy, who also liked to give people nicknames. Jou's was "Puppy", or "Pup" for short.

As Marik suggested, he did kind of get used to it, but it still disturbed him. He always imagined himself sleeping with someone, preferably a girl, that he loved and cherished. But instead, he was just some plaything for some insane, psychopathic, health-maniacal guy with spiky hair and icy blue eyes.

Anyway, after Marik would get home, he would usually put it all away. In fact, thanks to Marik, Jou's apartment was much more organized and cleaner. Jou was slightly impressed at this, he had always expected Marik to drag bodies back every night and dump them in a room for "safe-keeping".

After Marik put away the groceries, he would tackle Jou to the bed and forcefully make out with him, strip him down, and do him. After they were through with that, Jou would stay in bed for a while with Marik, who usually kept his arms around the boy, until he could walk.

Marik was quite a mystery to Jou. He wondered where the "OMG. You are my one and only love" attitude came from. Heck, Marik even cuddled on the couch with him. He was very strange, especially since when Marik first visited, he raped Jou. Now, it almost seemed as if he did really love him.

_That's impossible,_ Jou thought. _If Marik really did love me in the first place, he wouldn't be such an asshole. Yeah, that makes sense. And since he was such an asshole that first night, then he just wants me for sex._ Jou nodded upon reaching his conclusion like it was over and done with, but little did he know that he was wrong, very, very wrong.

-

Marik walked in one day with more bags than usual. He put them in front of Jou, who was lying on the couch, staring at the TV.

"Here," he said in that familiar, rough voice of his. Jou blinked.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You're going back to school in a few days, aren't you? So I got school crap, like pencils and all that jazz. Anyway, if you don't like something, or if some clothes don't fit, then just tell me and I'll return them," he replied. Jou blinked again as Marik left, wondering why the hell Marik would do something like that for him.

He sat up and looked into one of the sacks. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't filled with skimpy, kinky clothing that Marik would probably like to see Jou in, but normal clothes, like jeans and tee-shirts. There were some sweaters for winter, a scarf, gloves, and a hat. There were even shoes that actually fit, just normal sneakers. Jou got up, taking the shoes with him.

The boy walked to the kitchen, where he found Marik putting away a rarely-seen bag of chips.

"'Ey, why didn't y' get me diff'rent shoes?" he asked.

"Why do you ask? I thought that you liked that style of shoe," Marik answered.

"Well, yeah, but wouldn't you get somethin' like, ah, hooker boots, instead?" Marik turned to him, looking appalled.

"For one thing," he started, very serious, "shoes like that are against the school dress code. They're not 'school-appropriate' or whatever. Secondly, why would you want those?"

"I'm not sayin' that I want 'em, but wouldn't y' like, like t' see me wearin' leather and hooker boots?"

"No, the idea of something _that_ kinky doesn't really…appeal to me. Why, does it to you, Pup? 'Cause we can try something out like that if you want," Marik replied. Jou soon realized that he hadn't ever had a talk that was this long with Marik before.

"Y' actually seem as if you're considerin' m' feelings," he said suspiciously.

"And why wouldn't I?" Marik asked, putting away a jug of milk. Jou glared at him.

"Because y' only want me fer sex!" Marik dropped the yogurt he was about to put into the fridge. He looked to Jou, almost a bit…surprised, yet depressed at the same time.

"You…you really thought that?" he asked softly.

"Well, o' course! I mean, you suddenly appear at my place really late one night, break in, and rape me! Why wouldn't I!" Jou demanded angrily. Marik didn't answer. He simply picked up the yogurt, shut the fridge, and walked towards the door. He paused at it.

"Could you put away the rest of the stuff, please?" he asked quietly. Jou nodded, confused. Marik left the room, leaving Jou alone once again.

-

It was quite late, and Jou wondered why Marik hadn't tackled him to the bed today. Usually, Marik would do that every day, but today he had barely seen Marik at all, even in the small apartment.

Jou stared at the ceiling sleepily. Marik hadn't come to bed yet, even though it was past midnight. He sat up in his bed and felt concerned, for some reason. He swung his feet off the bed and stood up, looking around. He walked out of his room and into the living room, where he saw Marik, lying on the couch.

He walked over to him. Marik was still awake, looking depressed. He didn't even look up at the blond boy in front of him.

"'Ey, Marik? What's wrong?" Jou asked as kindly as he could. Marik turned over.

"Nothing," he answered stubbornly. Jou frowned.

"Y' can tell me, really. Why're you sleepin' out here instead of th' bed?" Marik stayed silent. "Please? Could ya' tell me?"

"I…" Marik started awkwardly. "I…I know that his sounds weird, especially since you thought that I was using you for sex…but, I…I really do love you, Jou. I didn't know how else to show you that." Jou gasped.

"Y-you coulda told me, y' know," he said softly.

"You wouldn't listen to me if I tried. You hated me, and probably still do, and wouldn't consider loving me. Hell, no one would listen to me, even if for a good reason. After all, I am Marik."

"I'm listenin' t' y'," Jou murmured.

"I know, but before…you wouldn't. Not even if I just gave up the duel with the pharaoh myself and let him win. Everyone would still hate me." Jou thought about this.

"Marik…" he muttered, sitting next to the yami. "I…I admit it, I don't quite hate y' anymore. I mean, y' cleaned up th' place and brought back groceries while all I did was sit on m' ass at home. Plus, since all y' buy is whole grain, veggies, an' fruits an' protein-filled stuff, I'm healthier than I ever was." Marik looked over his shoulder at him.

"You don't hate me?" he asked with bewilderment in his tone.

"Nah, I don't hate y'. In fac', I barely even know y'. We've never really talked b'fore," Jou said with a shrug. "So, um, are y' comin' t' bed?" Marik smiled slightly.

"Sure, if that's okay with you," he replied.

"'Course it is. B'sides, the bed's much more comfier." Jou and Marik walked to Jou's room and lied on the bed next to each other, a small amount of distance apart. They fell asleep peacefully.

TBC

Draiku: Mua-ha-ha! Fear me and my tendency to write rape stories! –cackles some more-

Mew: Poor Jou… I hate you, Draiku! –cries-

Draiku: Feh. Foolish mortal.

Mew: Oi! You aho! You're mortal too, bakayarou!

Draiku: Oh, that's only what you suspect… -laughs creepily-

Mew: o.O"

Yoko: R&R, please! (BTW, aho means dumbass in Japanese, while bakayarou means asshole. Yeah. Mew only curses in Japanese so she can say it to anyone since they don't know what it means, here. –nervous smile-)


	2. Chapter 2

Draiku: -cackles- Chapter two! Fear it! Cower before its very might! Writhe in pain as you read it! Tremble in… -continues-

Mew: Stop scaring them away. OO"

Disclaimer: Don't own anything in here but the plot. Whoop-dee-doo.

Puppy

Chapter 2

Jou was first to awake the next morning. Marik had one arm around him gently, breathing softly. The yami snuggled closer to him, holding Jou even more tightly. He let out a sigh of bliss and his eyes opened gently.

"'Morning, Pup," he muttered. Jou couldn't stop himself from smiling ever-so-slightly at Marik's drowsy expression.

"'Mornin'," he replied. Marik smiled and nuzzled him lovingly. Jou hadn't expected this, he thought that Marik would nibble his earlobe and remove his silk-pajama shirt.

"Wanna get some breakfast?" Marik murmured into Jou's ear, kissing him afterwards. Jou nodded, feeling a slight hunger-pain tug at his stomach. Marik sat up, his arms wrapped around Jou's torso, and rocked the boy from side to side slowly with his chin rested on his shoulder.

Jou mentally sighed in content, but he refused to let Marik know that he felt quite comfortable in this position, though this yami had raped him before. But now, it seemed as if he was an entirely different person. A kind one that just wanted to make him be happy and feel loved.

Marik scooped Jou up, bridal style, and carried him to the kitchen. Jou hadn't expected this at _all_. Marik had never done it before.

The yami sat Jou in a chair and then walked over to the fridge.

"What do you want to eat? We have cereal, pancakes, eggs, bacon, whatever," Marik said.

"Um…how 'bout…bacon?" Jou suggested to himself.

"Alright," Marik replied and took out a package of bacon from a drawer in the fridge. He put a few pieces on the stove and fried them. After the bacon was finished cooking, he put it on a plate and set it in front of Jou, along with two pieces of whole-wheat toast with non-fat butter on them. Marik decided that he didn't feel like washing the pan to make pancakes for himself, or getting out a new one, and chose cereal instead.

He sat across from Jou, pouring some milk into his bowl.

"Where'd y' get th' money for all this?" Jou asked.

"Hm?" Marik asked, looking up at him.

"How'd y' pay for the food?"

"Oh, I got a part-time job at Kaiba Corp. Basically, I help the researchers develop decks that can beat Yugi for Kaiba. The pay's good, the number of life-points that are subtracted from the computer that acts as Yugi's points become my daily pay. So I usually earn a bit over three thousand each day." Jou gaped at him.

"Y-you're so fuckin' rich," he muttered.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Marik said with a shrug.

"Then why haven't we moved or somethin'?" Jou asked.

"It's best to save the money for important stuff. Like…college, for instance," he said.

"Y' don't even need t' go t' college. Y' get enough already," Jou said suspiciously.

"Yeah, but you do," Marik said with a grin. "Plus, I was thinking that after a bit we could get a new television set or something, one that's actually in color."

"That'd be cool. With cable, too?" Jou asked.

"Why not? We could definitely afford it." They sat a while in silence.

"How'd y' get back here?" Jou suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Marik said, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, you died, right?"

"Yeah."

"So how'd y' start livin' again?"

"Well…I went straight to Hell, actually. No stops in between, not even a pit-stop. Anyway, Satan, or Lucifer, whatever, told me that I shouldn't have died yet. He actually sent me up here and gave me about ten extra years of life. I was gonna die at the age of thirty-something, but now I'll live till I'm forty-something. Pretty nice guy, actually. Once you get to know him. I was in Hell for about a month or so, and it actually wasn't so bad," Marik said with another shrug.

"Seriously?" Jou said. Marik nodded. "And you're not worried that you're gonna die when you're forty-somethin'?"

"No, not at all. Hell's actually pretty nice. Everyone has their own opinion and even though we disagree, we get along. Better than Earth, actually," he said with a smile.

"Interestin'," Jou muttered.

"Ah! Tomorrow you have school!" Marik exclaimed. "We need to get your stuff organized." Jou blinked, slightly surprised at Marik's concern for him.

"Um, alright," he replied. The doorbell rang, quite suddenly.

"I'll get it," Marik said, standing. He walked to the entryway, only to be greeted by a certain spiky, tri-colored haired boy, a girl with brown hair, another boy with a shark-fin cut, and an albino boy that looked totally innocent.

"Heya, Jou! Long time no see! Why haven't you…Marik!" Yugi exclaimed. Marik snarled.

"What are you doing here!" he growled.

"We're Jonouchi's friends! Why shouldn't we be here!" Anzu replied angrily, yet fearfully at the same time. Honda looked ready to fight, and Ryou was clutching his Millennium Ring worriedly.

"Oh, yeah," Marik said, his once surprised and angry expression changing into that of a dull one. "I vaguely remember you guys."

"Where's Jou! What have you done with him!" Honda demanded.

"'Ey, Marik? What's goin' on out there?" yelled a voice from inside that belonged to Jou.

"Yugi, Ryou, Honda, and Anzu are here to see you," Marik replied lazily. The four in front of him stared at Marik in disbelief. "Come in," he said, stepping aside. They walked in cautiously, almost expecting the walls, floor, and ceiling to be splattered with blood. Surprisingly, it wasn't.

"What…the…Hell?" Everyone turned to look at Ryou when he said this. The boy had never said a nasty word in his life. But they understood. "What the Hell?" was the correct statement in this situation. Jou hurried out of the kitchen, greeting them happily.

"Hey, guys!" he said, grinning. "How've you been? Sorry I couldn't call or talk t' ya, the phone's been down," he lied, but it was believable to his friends. Yugi blinked, confused out of his mind. He had expected Jou to be covered in bruises and other injuries, looking depressed and possibly bed-ridden.

"Jou, could we talk, without him around?" Yugi whispered, using his eyes to gesture to Marik.

"Huh? Uh, sure, Yuge. 'Ey, Marik? Would you mind if I talked t' my friends in private?" he asked.

"Not at all. I'll clean up the dishes and such from breakfast," Marik replied, smiling at Jou.

"Thanks," Jou said. He and his friends went to his bedroom, shutting the door. "So, what's up?" he asked.

"Why's he here?" Honda asked seriously. Jou blinked.

"I shoulda known that you'd ask that," he said softly. "We're buds now." The four in front of him gasped.

"What! But I thought that…you wanted him dead, Jonouchi!" Anzu whined.

"I know!" Jou snapped. "When we first met him, he was insane. I dun think that he was always insane, and maybe jus' had a mental breakdown or whatever. And, he's like, really, really health-wise. Seriously, if y' look in the cupboards here there are no chips at all. Not even a piece of chocolate. Y' see what I mean?" They simply stared at him.

"Jou," Yugi murmured, "did he ever hurt you in some way?" He had obviously noticed the confusion and angst in his friend's eyes. Jou gasped.

"Wh-wha? No, o' course not! Marik an' I are friends!" he said quickly, his voice quivering.

"Jou, are you sure? You don't seem very sure of yourself," Ryou said softly. Jou nodded.

"I'm sure," he replied, forcing a smile. Yugi smiled slightly.

"Well, in that case, your friends are my friends, Jou," he said.

"Thanks, Yuge," he said, smiling.

They chatted for the rest of the time, mostly dueling and their strategies, with the exception of Honda and Anzu, who weren't duelists. They simply suggested things to their friends, like adding a "Change of Heart" to a deck to use to sacrifice an opponent's monster.

It soon got late and they had to leave, but Yugi and Yami both were still concerned. Jou had acted slightly embarrassed when they spoke of Marik, but why?

"Maybe we should ask Jou in private," Yugi suggested to Yami as he made his way to the Kame Game shop.

"That would be best," Yami replied, nodding in agreement.

Jou and Marik ate their dinner in uncomfortable silence. Jou kept his attention firmly on anything other than Marik, whether that be a spot on the floor or the faucet dripping. Marik raised one eyebrow at him.

"What's troubling you?" he asked.

"N-nothin," Jou replied.

"Jou, you haven't spoken to me since they left, so what's wrong?" Marik pushed. Jou blushed and looked at his lap.

"W-what if they find out?" he asked worriedly.

"About what?" Marik asked.

"A-about… well, us. I-I'm worried about what they'll think of me," Jou admitted, clenching his hands into fists. Marik leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxing position.

"Well," he started, "if they were real friends, and they suspected that I was forcing it on you (which I did do, I suppose, but now I'll only do that if you want me to), then they'd do something about it, like call the cops and have me arrested. They'd ignore the entire incident and stay your friend.

"Or, if they think that we're in love (since I have no idea if you love me or not), then they'd accept you for who you are. They'd treat you like they normally do and ignore the fact that you like me.

"But if they weren't true friends, then they'd ignore you, tease you, or maybe even hurt you. So, what do you think they are?" he asked, looking to Jou.

"O' course they're real friends!" Jou said quickly, standing in his seat.

"Then if you want to, you can tell them. If it's too embarrassing, then keep it a secret. Personally, I'd want to keep it a secret, since they'd probably kill me and throw me in a river." Marik took a small sip of his tea. "It's entirely your decision. Now, we should organize your things for tomorrow." Jou nodded, thankful for Marik's advice.

After organizing everything, they went to bed together.

TBC

Draiku: Well, that didn't quite turn out as I had expected. And oh my gods! It ended similarly to the way the last chapter ended, with them goin' to bed together!

Mew: Will Yugi and Yami discover the truth about Jou and Marik! What will they think if they do! And what grade will Jou get on the pop quiz in history! Find out all this and more, all in the next chapter! (Hopefully, that is.)

Yoko: Please R&R! We love it when you share your thoughts with us! –hands out pennies for thoughts-


	3. Chapter 3

Draiku: I'm being incredibly lazy with this story. Ugh. Plus, Mew and I have both been staying up all night to work on other stories saved to the laptop, making us sleep in 'til almost five in the afternoon, leaving almost no more time for us to work on the stories. Sorry.

Mew: Yes, we have horrible sleeping habits. It's…almost four twenty as Draiku's writing this. Whelp, we'll try our hardest to work harder on the stories that need working on and try to leave all the little oneshots we sometimes compulsively write.

Draiku: -sleeping-

Mew: Oh boy.

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Puppy

Chapter 3

Jou walked to school the next morning, wishing that summer vacation could have been at least a few months longer. He thought of Marik and smiled to himself, happy that the yami cared about him. Even though Jou still hadn't forgiven Marik about their first day "together," he still enjoyed his company.

He walked into the school building, arriving at his classroom. There he saw Yugi, Honda, Anzu, Ryou, and Otogi chatting at a table.

"Heya, Jonouchi!" Yugi called. "Glad t' see you again!"

"Same here, Yuge! What're ya talkin' about?" Jou asked.

"Well, a new student is entering this grade. Whoever it is must be glad that it's the first day of school, so they don't have to do any extra work," Ryou said with a smile.

"I heard from some of the girls outside that the person's a guy. Some of them were squealing about his 'gorgeous blond hair.'" Otogi said dully. He sighed sadly. "I remember when the girls were swarming after _me_! It's not fair!"

"Ah, shaddup about it, Otogi. It happens to every new guy, and the same thing happens to the new girls. The guys swarm after her!" Honda said, grinning mischievously.

"I wonder who it is, although," Anzu muttered, gazing up at the ceiling. The bell rang and everyone took their seats. The teacher walked into the room with the new student behind her.

"Class, this is Malik Ishtar. He's new here, so make him feel as welcome as possible," she said cheerfully. Jou, Yugi, Ryou, Otogi, Honda, and Anzu all gasped. Malik bowed to the class.

"I'm glad to meet you all. I hope we can get along well," he said with a smile.

"Let's see, you can sit next to Katsuya Jonouchi, he's the one with--," the teacher started.

"I know him, sensei," Malik said to the teacher.

"But I thought that you were from Egypt."

"Well…um, my family and I took a vacation here and I met him and his friends," he replied.

"I see! It is a small world, after all! Then take your seat and we'll begin class." Malik sat next to Jou, right in front of Ryou, who suddenly lost control of his self as Bakura took over.

"Why, hello there, Malik," Bakura said with a grin. Malik gasped and flicked around.

"Bakura?" he hissed. "I thought that you died when Marik beat you in that duel!"

"Not quite," Bakura murmured with a smirk. "Did you miss me?"

"Well, of course! I mean, why wouldn't I?" Malik said, smiling happily. "Especially after that night…" Bakura chuckled softly.

"Yes, I remember every detail. The feeling of your bare chest against mine, the sight of you on your hands and knees, the taste of your--."

"Mr. Bakura! What, if I may ask, are you speaking with Mr. Ishtar about?" the teacher asked.

"I was just telling him where the other classes are so he could get to them after this one," Bakura replied dully.

"Well, thank you, but please tell him another time," she said. "Now, continuing, the phylum chordate is…"

"So, your family moved here?" Bakura asked. Malik nodded.

"Yup. Isis thought that it would be best since we know more people here," he replied in a whisper. "Anyway, I also remember every detail of that night. Your lust-filled eyes, the feeling of you inside me…"

Jou tried to ignore them as they continued with their perverted discussion as best he could.

-

Malik walked up to Jou after school. Jou noticed and blinked.

"What's up?" he asked.

"What's wrong, Jonouchi? You don't seem like your usual self today," Malik replied. Jou sighed softly.

"I dunno. I guess that I'm jus' a bit confused," he mumbled.

"About what?" Malik asked.

"I'd…I'd rather not say," Jou mumbled, blushing and averting Malik's gaze.

"Oh, I see. You're having trouble with love?" Malik said. Jou gasped.

"Uh, uh, no! O' course not! I dun need t' love anybodies!" Jou said, making his lower jaw stick out. Malik chuckled.

"You sound exactly like Marik did. I'm sure you remember him, right?" Malik said. Jou sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, kinda," he said sarcastically. "But how would you know if he 'e loved someone?"

"Before he killed my dad and nearly killed Rishid, we actually used to get along. He was nice to talk to at times whenever I was lonely, and he always helped me out with things, no matter what they were. I actually found it kinda strange that he went insane like that and was all ruthless and cold. I mean, it didn't make any sense. Maybe he had 'fits' if you know what I mean," Malik said, trailing off. Jou gulped at the thought. "What's wrong? You look a little pale," Malik pointed out the obvious.

"Uh, nothin'," Jou replied, shaking his head. He mentally slapped and told himself to get a grip, which was, of course, easier said than done in this situation. Malik suddenly tapped his chin, as if in deep thought.

"You know, I wonder what happened to the Millennium Rod. Yugi said that he didn't have it anymore. I just hope no one stole it. That thing's dangerous," he mumbled.

"Well, o' course it is! I mean, it gots a knife in it! A _knife_! An' it can control people an' freeze 'em, an'…" Jou rambled.

"How'd you know that it could freeze people? I don't remember it happening to you or telling you," Malik asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, I jus' figured that it could do dat," he replied, his voice shaking.

"Oh, I see…" Malik said, though he sounded very disbelieving. "But seriously, Jou, how did you know?" he asked, now serious.

"Uh…while you were 'out' during Yami's duel with Marik…I, uh, he froze us so we couldn't try t' help Yami or somethin'," he lied, then mentally cursed. Malik would never believe that in a million years! Malik still looked suspicious.

"Fine," he finally said. "Don't tell me. Anyway, see you tomorrow, Jou," he added and waved, walking away.

"Bye," Jou called back, waving lazily.

He finally returned to his apartment and saw a note on the door. It was written in mixed-up hiragana and kanji. He did his best to translate it and figured that it said something like "be back at four. Went to get some clothes at pool. –Marik" Jou blinked, wondering why Marik would go to the pool of all places to get clothing. Then again, Marik, though he could speak Japanese fluently, couldn't read or write kanji very well, and "pool" must have meant something else.

Jou sat on the couch and flipped on the cheap television. There wasn't really anything on, in fact, there was nothing at all on. One thing did occur to him, although. He hadn't seen his father for a very long time, almost throughout the entire summer. He figured that the alcoholic man got into a fight at a bar and went to jail. Either that or he stumbled blindly onto the street and got hit. It didn't matter, anyway. Jou disliked his father for many reasons. Jou continued flipping through channels, then the door opened.

"I'm back," Marik said, walking into the room. He had a plastic bag in one hand and the keys to the house in the other. Jou grinned slightly.

"So, didja enjoy the pool?" he asked. Marik blinked, truly confused.

"What? I went to the department store," he replied. "Not a pool. I don't like swimming."

"Never mind. What'd y' get?" Jou said. Marik sat down a few inches next to him and opened the sack.

"A couple of vests, some long-sleeved shirts since it's gonna get colder, pants, a scarf, and a jacket," Marik replied, taking out a black jacket.

"Then what's this?" Jou asked, taking a red thong out of the sack. Marik blushed slightly and looked away with just his eyes.

"Look…it was a dare from one of the guys at Kaiba Corp. …I don't actually want them…" he mumbled. Jou snickered.

"Yeah, right. Even you wouldn't do anythin' _that_ stupid," he said, elbowing Marik's ribs.

"He was the guy in charge of making nametags. If I didn't buy it, he'd put a curse word or something on mine when I get a new one next month. I had to do it," Marik explained.

"There's a guy in charge of making nametags?" Jou asked, his interest in the fact that Marik bought a thong lost. Marik nodded and Jou raised his eyebrows. "Damn, that Kaiba's stinkin' rich."

"Well, Kaiba makes and takes all the phone calls to and from companies interested in buying his technology. He's pretty damn busy," Marik said. "And money doesn't really matter to him, as long as he doesn't spend too much of it."

"Hmph. He's still a stupid rich-boy," Jou grumbled. Marik chuckled and put the jacket and thong back into the bag.

"I guess so, but it's great working for him," he said. The door suddenly slammed open. Jou gasped. It couldn't be!

"Marik, get outta here," he muttered fearfully. Marik didn't listen. He glared towards the door.

"How the hell did that person get in? The door was locked!" he growled. Jou got up quickly and grabbed Marik's shoulder, making the yami gasp in surprise. "Jou, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Get away from here. Hide somewheres!" he whispered. Marik looked suspicious. "Just do it!" Marik finally nodded, though a bit peeved that he was running away like a coward. Jou stood his ground and his father stomped in just as Marik hid behind the door so Jou could see him, but his father could not.

"Where'd all th' booze go!" Jou's father demanded in a rough tone.

"I threw it out since y' hadn't come back. I figured y' were dead," Jou replied, glaring at him.

"Brat!" his father yelled and grabbed him by the shirt, then tossed him to the floor with such force that Jou cried out. He managed to see a flash of gold as Marik brandished the Millennium Rod, taking off the bottom part so the knife showed.

"Hey, you fat bastard!" Marik said, stepping out from the shadows. "Lay off him," he growled, his eye twitching with anger.

"Who're you?" Jou's father demanded. Marik glared even more.

"My name or my relationship to Jou does not matter. Who are you and why are you here in his apartment?" he snarled, his grip on the Millennium Rod tightening.

"Id'ot, I'm th' brat's dad," the man grunted. Marik snarled.

"Good reason or not, no father should ever treat their child like that!" he yelled. Jou's father just laughed and kicked Jou in the stomach.

"I'll do wha' I want with 'im," he replied. Marik aimed the Millennium Rod at him, yelling an ancient Egyptian curse. Jou's father froze and was thrown against the wall.

"Have you ever been to Hell?" Marik mumbled, walking up to him, still glaring, but calmly. "It's not the best place you can be, I'll tell you that. Only the most vile and horrible people can go there, but there is a limit to how vile and horrible you can be, believe it or not. Do you want me to tell you where scum like you go when it dies?"

He swung the Millennium Rod with all of his strength, right at the man's head. Jou gasped, his eyes widening.

"Scum like you don't even deserve to go to Hell! Scum like you don't belong in Heaven or Purgatory either! To tell you the truth, I don't know where the scum of the Earth goes, but I imagine that it goes to a place of eternal suffering, a place where you scream constantly. Even in Hell you don't scream all the time. Sure, you get punished, but you don't constantly suffer. But scum like you…scum like you _should_ constantly suffer, for all eternity," he mumbled.

Jou's father stared at him with wide eyes, his skin pale and his flesh beaded with sweat.

"H-how would y' know wha' Hell's like?" he whispered fearfully. Marik smirked.

"I _am_ Hell," he whispered and tore off his shirt. There, like a large ragged scar on his chest, was a marking of an upside-down cross. The symbol of Satan himself. The top of it went from just an inch underneath his collarbone and then down to just six inches below his nipples. The horizontal section of it began just three inches below his nipples and was five inches long.

Jou's father screamed, and the spell wore off. He ran out of the apartment and out of sight. Marik sighed with relief and kneeled next to Jou.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Jou nodded.

"Wh-what's dat thing on your chest?" he whispered. Marik chuckled.

"Those who have been blessed, so to say, by Satan get this mark on their chests. I was actually surprised that worked, your father doesn't seem like the religious type," he said.

"But was all dad stuff about Hell true?" Jou asked. Marik shrugged.

"Well, kind of. The people who go to Hell, murderers, for instance, are murdered, but they return. People who tortured others are tortured for a certain amount of hours, depending on how bad they tortured their victims. After you've taken a walk in your victim's shoes, then you're pretty much fine. Hell's just a place for sinners to learn to regret what they did in their lifetime and such. And the regret's hard to live with for most," he said. "I wasn't tortured at all there since I wasn't supposed to die yet, but I will be when I do die."

"Oh." Jou wondered why he had never seen the mark before, but it answered the question to why Marik kept his vest or shirt on while he had sex with Jou.

Marik helped Jou up and put his shirt back on.

"I don't think that your father will hurt you any longer. But why didn't you tell me of that? I could've stopped him before you got hurt," Marik said, clasping Jou's hands tightly. Jou looked away.

"I dunno. I guess I was worried dat he'd hurt you," he mumbled. Marik smiled.

"Well, it's over now. And Jou…I really am sorry for raping you, since I just thought of that now," he added, his smiled fading. Jou blinked.

"Lemme guess; y' don't wanna be raped in Hell when y' die?" he said dully.

"Well, that, but I really am sorry. I guess that I felt that I needed to say that again," Marik murmured.

"I guess so. Jus'…let's not think 'bout dat, alright?" Jou said, looking into Marik's eyes. Marik nodded.

"Alright."

Meanwhile, outside, Yami and Yugi heard Marik's somewhat choppy-sounding words, "I am raping you now."

TBC

Draiku: Argh! That was quick!

Mew: Yugi and Yami misheard! NOOOOOO! MARIKU! –tries to jump into story to protect Marik-

Draiku: -hits Mew with hammer- You can't jump into a story, baka.

Mew: Ow. –kicks Draiku-

Draiku: Hey! –hits Mew-

Yoko: -watches the two fight- Uh…ignore them. Please R&R instead!


	4. Chapter 4

Draiku: Holy crap. We kept our promise! It was updated! Whoot!

Mew: See? Draiku's not all bad.

Draiku: -slaps Mew-

Mew: -faints-

Draiku: Anyway, I seriously apologize for not updating this very much. I hope that you guys haven't decided to hunt us down and kill us in our sleep for being inconsistent. Anyway. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Like I say in every fanfiction, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Puppy

Chapter 4

"Jonouchi!!" Yami yelled, bursting into the door, the eye on his forehead aglow with rage. He was greeted with the sight of Marik clutching Jou's hands tightly. Jou had bruises on his face and arms, like he'd been beaten. Marik's shirt was off, lying on the ground off to the side. The Millennium Rod was stuck in the wall, as if it was aimed to stab someone in the head.

"Get your filthy hands off of him!" Yami roared. Marik and Jou both gasped, looking at him with wide eyes. Yami stood tall, pointing a finger at Marik, ready to banish him to the Shadow Realm, or worse. "Obliterate!!" he screamed.

A dark smog seemed to appear from the tip of Yami's finger. It came closer, wanting to envelop Marik within it, but before it could even reach him, Jou made his move.

"No!" he yelled, jumping in the way. There was a flash of light, and two were left standing.

Jonouchi was lying on the ground, eyes wide open, but they were still lifeless. He still had a heartbeat, but he wasn't truly alive. His soul had been sucked into the Shadow Realm for all eternity.

Marik's eyes widened in sheer horror.

"Jonouchi!" he yelled, springing forward. Yami hurried towards him as well, wanting to help, but Marik growled at him threateningly, forcing him back. Marik knelt next to Jou's still body and stared at him. "Jou, wake up. Please, be alright. Puppy, come on, wake up," he murmured, cradling Jou's body. He knew that it was too late. He just didn't want to believe it.

"What are you doing??!" Yami demanded. Marik glared at him, though tears gathered in his eyes.

"You bastard! Do you realize what you've done??!" he yelled. "Jou's trapped in the Shadow Realm! He's a mortal! He can't survive in there for long!"

"You were trying to rape him!" Yami growled. "I was only trying to save him, but _you_ were the one who pushed him in the way!" Marik snapped. He yanked the Millennium Rod out of the wall, jumped up, shoved Yami against the wall, and pointed the knife at his neck.

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you, pharaoh," Marik hissed, spitting the word "pharaoh" out with immeasurable hatred. "I would never put his life in danger. Never. Do you understand?" Yami flinched, trying to get away. "Do you??!" Marik yelled, slamming him against the wall again.

"Fine!" Yami yelled. "But I won't acknowledge it until I hear it from Jonouchi himself!" Marik dropped Yami to the floor.

"You should have thought about that before you sent him to the Shadow Realm!" Marik gritted his teeth furiously, and knelt next to Jou's body again. He gently closed Jou's eyelids, so his eyes wouldn't dry out, and clutched him again. "I swear," Marik murmured into his ear as if Jou could hear him, "I _will_ get you out of there. No matter what it takes, I promise."

-

Jou found himself in a pitch-black realm with no sounds or surfaces. It was totally empty and silent, until Jou heard a voice.

"Help me!" it said, over and over again. Jou blinked and ran towards it, going as quickly as he could.

"Hold on! I'm comin'!" he yelled. The voice went on, until Jou found the one making the noise. "Marik??!" he exclaimed. Yes, it was Marik, but something was different.

He was covered in blood. It seemed to flow forever from unseen wounds, but still, the very sight caused Jou to scream.

"Jou, help me!" the bloody Marik begged, and suddenly, something suddenly skewered him in the gut, making scarlet rain fall to the ground. Jou screamed again, horrified, and something, something unnatural, came up from the ground.

It was huge, with two green, slanted shapes for eyes. But that was all that could be seen of it. Besides the eyes, it was only a shadow. The thing lifted Marik's body high above its head and swallowed him in a single gulp. Jou screamed again, and the thing came towards him. It opened its mouth greedily, and Jou cried out again and again.

"Marik! Marik! Help me!" he cried. "Oh, god! Help me please!"

"There is no one for you here," the beast said in a disembodied tone. "And there never will be anyone. This is only the beginning of the torture until you become a part of me, the Beast of Shadows!" It laughed, a horrid, high-pitched laugh. Jou fell to his knees, wishing that he could just be totally blind, or totally deaf, so he wouldn't have to see or hear this horrid thing. He just wanted it to be gone…

-

Marik clutched the Millennium Rod that night, hoping that he'd be able to contact Jou. So far, all he'd gotten were screams and groans from people that had entered the Shadow Realm long ago, but none of the voices belonged to Jou. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Marik was forced to pull away from the powers of the Rod. He answered it dully, and was greeted by the wide, horrified eyes of Malik.

"Hikari?" he gasped.

"Marik!" Malik exclaimed, jumping backwards. "What the hell? You were dead! I killed you! Why are you back??!" Marik stared at him a moment, then grabbed his arm and tugged him inside. Malik let out a cry and tried to get away, but Marik's grip was strong. "Let go of me!" Malik yelled. Marik ignored his pleas and sat him on the couch roughly. Marik suddenly bowed.

"Hikari," he murmured. "Please help me."

-

Jou was running as quickly as he could, away from those two, glowing, green eyes. He panted, feeling dizzy, but he knew that he if stopped running, he'd die. Or worse, he would forget everything about the real world and wander endlessly in this horrible place. It was either run, or perish.

_Run or perish._

So he ran.

-

Malik stared down at Marik, eyes wide. His yami, the evil being who'd taken over his body and attempted to destroy him, was asking for help? It didn't seem real at all. _It's a trick. He'll kill me or something,_ Malik thought, narrowing his eyes.

"I won't help you," he snapped, glaring. Marik took in a sharp gasp. "Now leave me alone, and don't ever talk to me again." Malik stood, ready to leave, but someone gripped his ankle. He snarled, looking down, to see Marik grabbing his leg, tears in his eyes.

"Malik, I beg of you. Please, just help me with this, and I'll never bother you again. I'll even kill myself if you want," he whispered.

"What _do_ you want?" Malik asked, still glaring, though not as much.

"I need you to tell me how to get into the Shadow Realm, yet still have a way out," Marik said softly. Malik narrowed his eyes once again.

"For what?" he asked suspiciously. Marik stood and led him into Jou's room. Malik gasped upon seeing Jou's body. "What happened to him??!" he demanded.

"The Pharaoh tried to send me to the Shadow Realm. Jou jumped in front of me and went there instead," he murmured. "I want to get him out." Malik blinked, looking at his yami.

"Why?" he asked. "You're a cruel, cold-hearted fiend. Why would you care?" The words stung, but Marik remained calm.

"I want to get him out, hikari, because I love him," he murmured, and Malik gasped.

"What??!" he whispered.

"I love Jou, so I want to save him," Marik repeated. Malik stared at Marik, then Jou's still form.

"Fine," he finally said. "How long has he been in there?"

"A few hours," Marik replied, relieved that Malik was helping him. "Since about four." Malik frowned.

"Alright. Here's what to do…"

-

"Don't worry," the voices chided, "we'll take good care of you, Jou. Just become one with us. It's exactly like heaven, Jou! No responsibility, no pain, no fatigue, just existence. It's wonderful, Jou! Join us! Join us!" Other voices joined in, hissing. Jou could picture them almost nodding in agreement.

"I can't," he muttered, lying face down on the ground, wherever it was. "Marik's still out there…"

"Marik cares for you no longer! No one does, Jou! Only us, join us, join us!" the high-pitched chorus chirped. Jou glared feebly.

"Dat's a lie…" he mumbled.

"Oh no, oh no! It's true, it's true! Marik has forgotten you, Malik has forgotten you, Yugi has forgotten you, everyone doesn't care anymore! You've only us, Jou! Join us! _Be_ us!" Jou sighed.

Maybe it was true.

He had no idea how long he'd been in here. A minute? A day? A year? A _century_? He'd concluded that time was irrelevant here. It didn't matter, just like the voices. Just like everyone else out in the true world. The voices sounded so sure of themselves, so positively right that Jou just _had_ to believe them. He felt like crying. But that wouldn't matter either.

"Fine…" he murmured. The voices cheered.

"You will not regret it, Jou! Just wait a while, and soon you'll be part of us!" they said. Shadows twisted from the ground, wrapping themselves around Jou like tentacles. Despite their frightening appearance, the cold feeling of its skin was more than welcoming. One clapped over his mouth and nose, and Jou couldn't breathe. But the pain he felt as his lungs begged for air was comforting. _Anything…_ he thought, _anything but this pain._

Suddenly, there was a light.

-

Marik did as Malik said and tore at the air in front of him with the Millennium Rod. Instantly, the air literally spit and tore, revealing a pitch-black marking, hovering there. A portal to the Shadow Realm.

"Good!" Malik said. "Now keep ripping! Make it bigger!" Marik slashed again, and the rip became bigger. He kept tearing and ripping at it until it was large enough to allow him entry.

"How long do I have?" Marik asked. Malik paused.

"An hour, at the most." He looked around, and saw a ball of twine peering out of the closet at him. "Ah! Here. Take this with you. Even if the portal does close, then you'll still be connected to this world, and I can get you out," Malik said, handing Marik the twine. He tied the other end of it to the leg of the couch.

"Good," Marik murmured. He handed Malik the Millennium Rod. "I'm putting all my trust in you, hikari," Marik said softly. "And thank you for helping me." Malik nodded.

"Now hurry! If the portal closes, we can't open it for at least another six hours! Every second counts," he said. Marik nodded and stepped into the horrid Realm.

Instantly, suffocating shadows surrounded him. He took a deep breath, though the air was thin here, and moved forward.

"Jou!" he called. "Jou! Answer me, please!"

There was no reply, except his own echo.

Meanwhile, off in the distance, Jou heard a voice.

TBC

Draiku: Oh! How evil am _I_? Leaving you all hanging there like that!

Mew: -sweatdrop- You know that Marik's going to—

Draiku: -claps hand over Mew's mouth- Shut up. –ties her up and shoves her in the closet-

Mew: -struggles to get out-

Draiku: Anyway, I _really_ want to finish this. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up _very_ soon. If it isn't, you can stab Mew. –innocent smile-

Yoko: -jumps out of nowhere- Whoo! Draiku pulled an all-nighter! Well, not really, it was finished at 11:22 PM on a school night. –sweatdrop- As usual, please R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

Draiku: Ah, it seems as though Puppy now has five chapters. Well, puny mortals, this chapter will end your cliffhanger woes.

Mew: -announcer voice- Will Jou live??! Will Jou die??! Read on, to find--!

Draiku: -throws a brick at Mew-

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh because I'm so poor.

Puppy: Chapter 5

Jou opened his eyes weakly. The voices were tugging him in; only the upper half of his body was still free.

"Soon you will be free, Jou. All will be well," the voices said. Jou closed his eyes, sighing, ignoring the faint light in the distance. It only made him tired.

"Jou!" said a voice. "Answer me!" Jou opened his eyes. That voiced belonged to someone…someone close. But who? He couldn't remember. He searched his weary mind for any hint, any small clue at all, yet none revealed itself.

"Ignore it, Jou. Just your imagination playing tricks," the voices whispered in his ear. "Soon you will be one with us, Jou. All exhaustion will be gone. Eternal rest awaits you, Jou." Jou smiled. He liked the idea.

"Jou! Jou! Please answer me! Gods, I beg of you! Anything!" that same, rather annoying voice yelled. Jou squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He just wanted it to go away.

"Ignore it, Jou," the voices urged once again. Jou nodded, closing his mind to every noise.

Silence.

Pure, serene silence. Surely it would be soon…surely he'd be able to finally rest.

"Good boy," the voices whispered. Jou felt the shadows creeping up his chest and onto his neck.

_It won't be long now,_ Jou thought with a slight smile.

-

Marik was in mental agony. Jou couldn't be this submissive to the Shadow Realm! He was too stubborn! Then again, he was also mortal. He wasn't used to this sort of environment at all, and anything positive could persuade him into oblivion.

It couldn't be too late. It just couldn't.

"Jou!" he cried, over and over, yet to no success. Finally, he got an idea.

"Puppy! Are you there?"

-

Somehow, someway, that annoying voice that Jou grew to hate broke through his mental barriers and into the very center of his mind.

"Puppy! Are you there?" it yelled. Jou's eyes snapped open. The shadows were creeping up his face. They didn't feel inviting any longer, however. They were slimy and clammy, like dead fingers coated in who knows what. He cringed, disgusted by the very idea that he was allowing this…this _thing_ to touch him.

"Let me go!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. The shadows shrunk slightly, but their grip stayed firm.

"Jou, think of the rest! Think of the peace! Think of yourself!" the voices urged in that horrible, venomous tone.

"No! _Let go of me_!!" he screamed, thrashing to get away.

"Oh, gods! Puppy!" someone cried. Jou looked up to see a man with spiked blond hair, tanned skin, and icy blue eyes running toward him. A wave of emotions swam about his body, yet he still wasn't free. Who was this man?

All Jou knew was that he loved him.

He didn't care who he was, or why he was here, _he loved him_.

The man began tearing at the shadows with his bare hands, trying to free Jou's fatigued body.

"Hang on, Puppy, I'm going to get you out of this," he said, gritting his teeth. Jou's head hung. He was too exhausted to nod, or even look up. But he knew he was safe, as long as this man was here with him.

-

Marik had a bit of a problem on his hands. The shadows wouldn't stop growing over Jou, no matter what he did. He couldn't do a thing to stop their onslaught, their goal of taking the boy completely and totally. He tried murmuring things to Jou, but the teen had blacked out.

"Jou—Puppy, wake up," Marik whispered, holding Jou's face in his hands. "Please wake up." Jou didn't do a thing. Marik felt tears stinging his eyes, and he hugged Jou's neck. "Puppy, wake up. I beg of you. Please wake up."

The shadows were still advancing. At this point, there seemed to be no hope for either of them.

"Puppy, so many people out there need you. Yugi does, Honda does, Anzu does, Malik does, Otogi does, all of them need you! And I…I need you most of all," Marik whispered into Jou's ear. He could only pray that he heard him.

-

Yugi? Honda? Anzu? Malik? Otogi? Who were these people the man spoke of? Jou didn't recognize their names. He worked hard to remember them, though, and wished that he could. Oh, how he wished that he could.

"Puppy, please wake up," the man was saying. "I need you. _We_ need you. Remember your sister? She had surgery on her eyes, and she almost went blind. You said that you were going to take her to the beach again, to see the sunset! You said that you didn't have enough money to afford the surgery, and she was going to go blind, so you went to Duelist Kingdom with Yugi, and battled for the prize money! Please Remember, Puppy…"

He had a sister who was going to go blind? Jou just couldn't remember. He knew that his name was Katsuya Jonouchi, but he couldn't remember anything else. What was Duelist Kingdom? What money? What surgery? Which beach? So many questions needed to be answered…

"Remember Kaiba? My employer? The rich, stuck-up bastard?" the man was saying. "Remember how he mocked your skills and called you worthless? Remember how you almost defeated him in the Duel Tower?"

Jou wracked his brain for the answers. Who were all these people? The man named off countless events, including some Jou would rather not hear about, but still, he just couldn't remember.

"At least say you remember the red thong I bought earlier today!" the man said, sounding desperate. "At least remember that!"

Something inside of Jou flickered on. He opened his eyes.

"The thong…?" he mumbled. He knew what a thong was, at least. The man was grinning now, and nodding.

"Yes! The red thong I had to buy so the name-tag guy wouldn't put some nasty word on my name-tag!" he said, laughing. Jou laughed slightly. "Do you remember?" the man asked. Jou looked into his eyes.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I do."

-

Marik could have died right then and there. Jou was remembering! It was too good to be true!

"Do you remember me, Puppy?" he asked, tears forming in his eyes. Jou's eyes moved left and right very quickly and he bit his lower lip. But even though he didn't speak, the shadows around him were shrinking and pulling back.

"Yes," he finally said. "You're…Marik." Marik grinned, nodding.

"Yes!" he said, tears still gathering.

"And…you're Malik's yami," Jou continued, grinning now. "And Malik's with dat guy…Bakura? Yeah…and he's Ryou's yami! And Ryou's friends wit' Yugi and Honda and Otogi and Anzu and Mai and dey're friends wit'…wit' me! And I hate dat Kaiba guy! He's a stuck-up, stupid rich-boy!" He was glaring now, but the shadows were gone.

He was free.

Marik wrapped his arms tightly around Jou, holding him and gripping him for all he was worth. Jou rested his head on Marik's chest, smiling.

"Can we go back home, Marik?" he asked softly. Marik nodded.

"Yeah," he replied, tears falling onto Jou's scalp. "Yeah. Let's go home." He carefully picked up Jou, clutching the twine ball in his other hand. They followed it together, when suddenly, Marik blinked. He looked at his hand. Resting in his palm was the end of the twine, frayed and soft.

"What is it?" Jou asked. Marik stared at it for a long while, and finally let out a long series of curse words. Jou blinked, obviously confused, and shifted. "Marik? Is…is somethin' wrong?"

"Hell yes!" Marik cried. He clapped his free hand over his eyes, dropping the twine. "We're fucking trapped in here!"

-

Malik sat in Jou's apartment, holding a section of the twine that had broken off.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no," he groaned, sitting back. Jou and Marik were trapped in the Shadow Realm with no way out. The twine had been weak on this end, and it had snapped. Worst of all, the entrance to the Shadow Realm was gone. Marik and Jou would forever wander the darkness, unless Malik could find them.

The teenager stood and quickly began slashing at the air with the Millennium Rod.

Nothing happened.

Malik cursed and tried again.

Like before, nothing happened.

"Dammit!" he hissed, and kept slashing furiously. He'd said that he'd watch over Marik, he'd said that he'd keep him connected while he was in the Shadow Realm, but he'd failed. And because of his failure, Marik and Jou would suffer.

He needed help from someone, anyone.

Malik grabbed the phone and instantly began dialing the Kame Game store.

-

Marik clutched Jou's quivering body tightly, holding him close and gritting his teeth.

"I'm so sorry," he hissed. "I wasn't fast enough. I should have been quicker, I should have found you faster!" Jou clutched his vest tightly.

"God, Marik, I wanna go home. I just wanna get outta here!" he sobbed. Marik kept his hold firm and rocked him gently, trying to calm the crying boy.

"I'm so sorry, Puppy," he murmured into Jou's ear. "I've failed you. I don't deserve you."

"Don't say that," Jou whispered. "Marik, I…I want you." Marik gasped and his eyes widened. He stared Jou in the eye, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"You…love me? Even after all I've done to you?" he said. Jou nodded shyly.

"I didn't really realize it 'til jus' a bit ago," he muttered, biting his lower lip and blushing heavily. "But now I know. Can you…can you stay with me forever?" Marik nodded, hugging Jou tightly and holding him as close as he could possibly get.

"I will, Jou. I promise," he whispered. Jou smiled slightly and nuzzled Marik's head, closing his eyes contently. He wouldn't mind staying here for months, years, or even an eternity, as long as Marik was with him.

-

"They're trapped in the Shadow Realm?" Yami said as soon as he arrived at Jou's apartment. Malik nodded.

"Yes. Marik went in to rescue Jou, but the opening between our world and the Shadow Realm closed, and the twine keeping them connected was severed," Malik explained quickly. Yami growled quietly.

"I'm doing this for Jou, not that irritable yami of yours," he snarled.

"Yeah, yeah," Malik said, though still a bit nervous. Yami called upon the power of the Millennium Puzzle and created a doorway to the Shadow Realm.

"Here, hold onto the end of this. If the doorway closes, tug on it," he said, handing Malik a golden string connected directly to his chest. Malik nodded and Yami stepped into the Shadow Realm. "Jou? Jonouchi!" he called, looking around. As expected, he couldn't see anyone, but he could sense them. Marik's spirit was strong, but Jou's was steadily growing weaker by the minute.

Yami would have to hurry.

-

"Man…Marik, can I go t' sleep? I'm so tired…" Jou mumbled, leaning on Marik's shoulder. Marik shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Jou. We can't sleep in here or we'll get sucked in. You'll have to wait until we find a way out," he said, stroking Jou's arm gently. Jou groaned and sighed.

"Please, Marik. Let me take a break, jus' fer a bit," he pleaded, closing his eyes. Marik reopened them and kept them open with his fingers.

"No, Pup. I will not allow you to sleep, no matter how tempting it is," he said. "If you do happen to fall asleep, I'll screw you until you're awake again." Jou widened his eyes and Marik let go of them.

"But we don't even have a bed!" he opposed.

"Like that'll stop me," Marik said sternly. Jou sat up straight, definitely giving an effort to not fall asleep. Marik chuckled and clutched his hand. "Good," he murmured.

"Jonouchi! Marik!" a faint voice yelled. Marik gasped and looked up.

"Someone's looking for us," he mumbled. A grin split Jou's face and he stood, Marik soon following.

"Over here!" Jou yelled as loud as he possibly could. Marik joined in and suddenly, Yami appeared as though he was stepping through fog. Marik groaned loudly.

"He just _had_ to come, did he," he said sarcastically. Jou grinned even wider.

"Yuge! There y' are! Are y' comin' t' take us out?" he asked. Yami nodded.

"I only came to take you out, but I suppose that I have to take _that_ shadow of a human out as well," he snarled, still clearly disliking Marik. Jou frowned.

"C'mon, Yugi! Don' be dat way!" he said. "Marik's a good guy! He really is!" Yami still seemed suspicious.

"Well, we'll talk later, when he isn't around, Jou," he murmured lowly, so Marik couldn't hear.

"It took you long enough to get us out, 'O mighty pharaoh,'" Marik said sarcastically. "Come on. Jou almost lost himself in here." He grabbed Jou's hand and tugged him along as he followed Yami to the exit. Jou blushed all the way there, having not pictured himself being dragged by Marik in front of Yami. Needless to say, it was embarrassing.

"Here we are," Yami said. Marik grinned at Jou and stood aside.

"Jou, you're still a soul. Go back into your body, and I'll meet you out there," he said. Jou nodded worriedly, and took one, sheepish step outside. Instantly, he felt himself being tugged by an unseen force towards something, and he blacked out. His eyes snapped open again, and he sat up, just in time to see Marik and Yami stepping out of the Shadow Realm. He put his hands to his stomach and chest, making sure he was all there, and grinned.

"I'm back!" he yelled triumphantly while Marik walked over to Malik.

"How did the twine break?" he asked, first thing.

"It was weak on the part between this world and the Shadow Realm," Malik replied. "I was trying to tear open another entrance again, but it wouldn't work. I'm so glad Yami came over quickly enough to help." He sighed with relief and wiped his brow. Marik sighed and turned to Yami, who had finished closing the opening to the horrid realm.

"I suppose I owe you a thank you," Marik growled, however reluctant he was. Yami stood, stern expression all over his features. "So, thanks. But this doesn't mean that I like you, much less that I respect you! I do owe you for saving Jou's and my own life, but don't expect me to pay it back anytime soon!" He grabbed the Millennium Rod and pointed it at him, as though he was threatening him. Yami just smirked.

"I'll remember that you owe me, Marik," he said cockily. "As long as you pay me back in double, I'll be just fine." He turned and left after saying goodbye to Jou, who blinked and looked to Marik.

"You two should get along, y' know. It'd be much easier," he said. "Then maybe y' wouldn't fight as much." Marik sighed and gave him "the look." Jou stared right back. "Ah…now I remember why y' don't get along. Never mind, then." Marik just chuckled and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so glad we're safe, though," he said softly, stroking Jou's hair. Jou blushed lightly, knowing that Malik was right behind them.

"Marik?" he said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, Pup?" Marik replied, closing his eyes.

"Malik's right behind us watching." Marik paused and pulled away, looking to Malik.

"Well, sheesh, Malik. Have you never seen two guys hug before?" he said dully. Malik rolled his eyes.

"You know the answer to that, yami," he replied in a snappish tone. "It's just that I'm seeing you in a whole new tone—now that I see how comfortable Jou is around you."

"I don't wanna be seen in a whole new tone!" Marik whined. Malik just snickered, in a slightly evil manner, and Jou decided that the entire Ishtar family was insane, probably with the exception of Rishid or Isis, but he barely knew them.

"Well, I'd better get going," Malik said, strutting on out the door. "I have homework to do. See ya in school tomorrow, Jou!" With that said, he left, shutting the door behind him. Marik sighed, shook his head, and sat next to Jou on the couch again, stringing an arm around his shoulders.

"We were lucky, weren't we?" Jou said after a moment. Marik looked to him.

"How so?" he asked.

"Well, what if Yami refused t' help ya? I'm sure he coulda done dat—he'd just hafta use his Millennium Puzzle thingy and you'd be trapped. But he didn't. He coulda easily gotten me out and left ya behind, and that woulda hurt both of us," Jou explained. Marik paused.

"He hates me. If it's that easy, why didn't he seem like he considered it? Hell, his glance didn't even indicate hatred of any sort…" Marik said, thinking to himself. Jou snickered.

"He's seein' ya in a new tone too!" he said with a snort. Marik scowled and rolled his eyes.

"I don't…want to be seen differently," he mumbled. Jou blinked.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I know that Malik's viewing me as less hostile, but Yami? He may as well be snickering at me in his head for loving you," Marik replied. "And you never know what he'd do. He'd tell all your friends, and convince them that I did something horrible to you while he was here, and he witnessed it, something like that, and they'd come and try and kill me--."

"Yami's not like that!" Jou quickly said, standing up in defense for his friend. "I know that ya don't entirely trust 'im, but he's one o' the greatest guys there is! He'd never do somethin' like that!" Marik sighed, leaning against the arm rest.

"Why wouldn't he, though? He killed me without remorse once. Why not again?" he said. Jou frowned slightly.

"Even if he does try, which he won't, I'll tell 'im t' not hurt ya. He listens t' me, Marik. I've known 'im since he was released from th' puzzle," he said.

"And if you're friends are around? Would you really tell them so openly? Because I understand that it could be hard to tell your buddies that you fell in love with that evil, murderous yami who went to Hell and returned just a bit later," Marik said. Jou shrugged and sat down.

"If they don' like it, they ain't my true buds," he said. Marik smiled and gently kissed his temple. They sat on the couch, holding each other for a little while longer.

"What's the time?" Jou asked with a yawn, just a bit later. Marik looked to the clock beside him and blinked.

"Just past ten. Wanna turn in?" he asked. Jou nodded and yawned again, closing his eyes. He flopped onto Marik shoulder instantly, evidently asleep. Marik smiled again, carried the sleeping teen into their room, and lied him on the bed. He crawled in after pulling the blanket over Jou, kissed his love goodnight, and turned off the light.

TBC

Draiku: I'm rather pleased with how this one turned out. XD That damned thong actually had a meaning! Ahahahahaha…

Mew: I never suspected that a thong would be so freakin' important to the plot. –roll eyes- What does that say about us, huh?

Draiku: -snicker- We're just too weird for our own good.

Yoko: Hey, I'm not the writer here. You two are weird. I'm perfectly normal.

Mew: You're a muse. Nothing is normal about you.

Yoko: … -sobs-

Draiku: Give us your thoughts on this in the form of reviews! Yes…review, my faithful readers, review… -hypnotic glance-

Mew: Erm. She means thanks for reading, and remember to review!


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